John l



(No Model) J. L. KILLMER. 'ELEOTRIG ADVERTISING AND DISPLAY APPARATUS.

No. 582,649. Patented May 18,1897.

'FIG. 1.

'INVENTOR:

WITNESSES:

cram-mu, WASMINGTOI'L o c UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

JOHN L. KILLMER, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRIC SIGN AND NOVELTY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC ADVERTISING AND DISPLAY APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,649, dated May 18, 1897.

Application filed March 2, 1896. Serial No. 581,467. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: B, brackets or holders earring the advertis- Be it known that I, JOHN L. KILLMER, a ing members; C, a frame or board carrying citizen of the United States, residing in the the several parts of the apparatus, and D a city, county, and State of New York, have insource of electric energy sufficing to illumi- 5 5 vented certain new and useful Improvements nate the matter to be exhibited or displayed. in Electrical Advertising and Display Appa- The members A and A, of which any suitratus and the Like, of which the following is able number may be employed, comprise, esa specification. sentially, a luminous portion E and E, re-

lhis invention relates to apparatus for adspect-ively. This portion has the form,shape, IO Vertisin g, display, or writing, and aims to proand appearance desired for exhibition and is vide improvements in such apparatus. illuminated electrically, preferably by the pe- To this end in carrying out the preferred culiar rays or illumination incident to a Geissform of the invention means are employed for ler tube, for which purpose eachmember E making a luminous exhibition of the matter is best constructed as a long sinuous trans- 15 to be displayed, for presenting this matter in parent or translucent tube F, of glass or other various colors and with great brilliancy and suitable material, bent, blown, or otherwise beauty of the light, and a great variety of formed into the desired shape and having a color effects. Means are employed for magcontinuous hollow interior or cavity a exnifying the whole or a part of the luminous tending from end to end and terminating in 2o matter, and the matter to be displayed is archambers 19, in which are the platinum of ranged for successive illumination of part or other terminals 0 of an electric circuit. The parts thereof. Preferably Geissler tubes are chambers 11 consist of the hollow interiors of employed for the luminous portion of the aptransparent glass or other suit-able bulbous paratus. A-suitable source for supplying an casings d, into which the platinum points are 25 interrupted, alternating, or other suitable fused and beyond which the heads e of the electric current is provided. Switches conterminals project and serve as binding-posts trolling the action of the tubes are used. A for receiving the line-wires of an electric cirliquid medium for heightening the brilliancy cuit. of the effect surrounds the tubes, and mag- Each luminous portion, when used for an o nifying-lenses are arranged outwardly of this advertising or similar display, is formed or medium, and certain detail features of imcontorted to approximate the shape of the provement in the construction and arrangewords, letters, and characters desired to be ment of the tube and the parts of the appaexhibited. In the construction shown the ratus are provided. first word is of a peculiar shade or color to 35 In the accompanying drawings, which show render it distinctive-for example, redthis certain adaptations of my invention, Figure being accomplished by forming the corre- 1 is a front elevation, partly in vertical secsponding portion of the tube F of red or coltion, on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2, of an advertisored glass or of a quality having peculiar ing, display, or writingapparatus embodying fluorescence. To actentuate the beginning 40 the preferred form of myimprovement. Fig. and end of this word and isolate it from the 2 is an end elevation thereof,partly in section, rest of the tube, the portions of the tube imon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a'fragmenmediately in advance of and beyond it are tary cross-section of a modified form of appamade opaque, or of a dark or distinctive color, rat-us; and Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in terminating the peculiar light or appearance 5 45 vertical axial section, thereof. of the portion of the tube devoted to the word. Referring to the drawings, I will first de- In the member E the portion f is of a neutral scribe in detail the features of construction color and the vportions g are of a dark color and arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2, conor are opaque. Next following the word or stituting the preferred form of my invention. part composed of the portion f is another I00 50 In this apparatus let A and A indicate the portion h, of colorless glass or of a quality or advertising or display members as a whole; fluorescence of appearance distinctively different from the first portion f, and this portion is of the shape desired for the succeeding word or part. This portion is terminated by an opaque or dark part 9 at the end of the second word, and where required throughout the several portions the opaque or dark parts 1 are provided to make the interruptions requisite to the formation of the letters and words.

The interior of the tube F contains a highlyrarefied gas, the degree of rarefieation depending upon the light effects desired, and through this vaeu um or partial vaeu um cham ber is passed an electric current of suitable character, which is supplied by the generator D. The latter may be any suitable source of electricity. I have shown for the purposes of illustration an induction-coil i, the secondary terminals of which are connected by wires j,

7m, 7, and m with the terminal-points c of the tubes. The induction-coil is energized by a battery 91, which has an interrupter 0 in the primary circuit of the coil. A switch 1) in this circuit controls the coil, and a switch q, when more than one tube is used, sufiices for connecting successively or collectively the several tubes employed in the apparatus.

\Vhcn either tube is connected with the coil, brilliant and varying light effects are produced throughout the length of the tube, illuminating the translucent and transparent portions thereof and producing a greater variety of color and fluorescent elfects. These effects are largely suppressed or entirely concealed by the portions g of the tube, and are clearly apparent at the portionsfand h thereof, being modified at those portions according to the color or nature of the latter.

To increase the effect and beauty of the exhibition, the luminous members of the apparatus are inclosed in transparent tubes 7', the hollow interiors of which are sealed and filled with a colorless or other suitable liquid .9, which transmit-s the light effects from the members E with added brilliaucy. To in crease the effectiveness of the exhibition, magnifying-lenses or other suitable provisionst are disposed in front of the members E and suffice to magnify all or such portions of these members as is desired. The lenses t preferably constitute part of the inclosing tuber, being fused into the wall of the latter.

One or more members may be employed, two beingpreferably used. hen a plurality of members is used, each member may be differentiated from the others, and the switches can be adapted to successively illuminate each, thus giving a writingelfect as one member after another becomes luminous. Of the two members shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the lower one A only differs from the upper one A in that its exhibition portion E is of different shape corresponding to different words. Like the other it has portions f, g, and h, distingushing and accentuating its words. The brackets B serve as a convenient support for the several members, the brackets having notches it receiving the necks v of the members A and A.

In operation the members will be illuminated by suitable switching to throw on or off the electric current, and from time to time, as desired, either or both of the members A and A will be removed and other analogous parts having different exhibition matter will be substituted.

It will be seen that my invention provides an improved advertising, display, or writing apparatus which will be pleasing and effective in operation, and can be readily and economically availed of for manypurposes, and it will be understood that theinvention is not limited to the particular details of construction, arrangement, and operation, nor to the particular combination of features set forth as constitutingits preferred form, since these details of construction and arrangement and the combination of features employed in the apparatus can be variously modified as circumstances or thejudgment of those skilled in the art may dictate without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a modificationin which the member A has a luminous member E, consisting of a hollow tube having differently colored or appearing portions f and g, traversed by a carbon filament w, the ends of which are connected to the line-wires 00 of an electric generator D. The tube E is inclosed in a tube r,filled with a liquid 3 and provided witha lens 25. \Vith this construction, while the light will be brilliant, it will be devoid of the variations and color effects obtained with the Geissler tube before described.

What I claim is, in electrical advertising and display apparatus and the like, the following-defined novel features and combinations, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth, namely:

In an advertising and display apparatus one or more Geisslers tubes bent and arranged to represent symbols or letters and having a portion of the symbol or letters of a word different in color from the remainder of the symbol or word, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN L. KILLMER.

\Vitnesses:

MAX SHEINAR, FRANK BEAKBARE. 

